And now, if I can ask for help - can anyone help me restoring my data before I try it for myself?Before LinuxMCE I had on my 80GB ATA drive one partition with NTFS and Windows.

Sorry for the tone of this post, but I am quite upset. I promise I will read manual every next time, even with a new PC mouse.

Sorry, but the instructions specifically state the the DVD installer will wipe an existing hard drive. And that's what it does... The DVD install is not your typical install which takes forever and a day.. It's basically copying an image of an existing working install onto your hard drive..

I am not certain how much of a 80 GB disk that gets overwritten on a DVD install, I'd guess about 10 GB's.

The pictures that might have been located on the same physical area on the harddrive won't be recoverable. Sorry...

The rest of the pictures should be possible to restore. I am not entirely certain on how much writing on the disk the formatting process actually does but formatting does normally not erase much data.

So... Download the Linux Sleuthkit and let it harvest your disk. It will probably be a very time consuming process but I guess it will be worth it if it is a photo album...

There are other commercial softwares that can do this job a bit better, I am unfortunately not aware of the policy in the forum. If it is ok to "advertise" and the software I have in mind is quite expensive as well.

Go for the Sleuthkit, it does a great job. Or send the disk to a recovery company, might be worth the money...

Sparkie

I'm sorry this has happened to you Marty. It isn't clear or entirely Highlighted that the entire contents of a disk are erased when installing LinuxMCE. I have a few friends also mistakenly wipe their drives. It just goes to show that LinuxMCE isn't for the "public" user yet. I must say that Linux and Linux MCE is NOT as easy as the videos or any smooth talking Linux Junkie claims it to be. linux and its environment require a very computer savy user. Linux is still cumbersome for most people. be prepared to do a ton of research before getting everything you want out of Linux. I spent a few hours just the other night trying to get Java simply working in Ubuntu. Java should simply install itself and work. Unfortunately the solution is to edit some text files and bust into terminal window and run some commands. Hardly something an average user is comfortable doing. Nonetheless I love Linux and what it has to offer so I grin and bear it.Marty, anytime you work with something that is a work-in-progress, free, and cutting edge you run the risk of having things not working out and going terribly wrong. Linux doesn't off a happy comfy place like MAcintosh or Windows. It does offer more freedom and potential. It's a terrible thing to lose your photos, but atleast you have your memories. Computers can't wipe our memories yet, but I'm sure Windows will do it first.

Just be cautious with Linux,research everything before trying it out. Many things in Linux can't easily be undone.

I'm sorry, but my God. I don't install any OS without checking what it removes; it's just a given. Think about it; it's an operating system, the very core of what runs the entire computer. Even Windows does this if you're not careful. You just need to check the documentation... If you install an OS on something and just assume your previous data is going to just be there when it's finished...

Yes, you are right. I wouldn't recommend this for general users yet as installation of hardware can be a pain and the UI needs some work, but certainly not for this reason!

You're definitely right about Linux and Java, Flash, and CoDecs. It's very annoying and usually has things to do with licenses and certain companies who own the applications just not caring. That said, I too love Linux and use it as my primary desktop... when I'm not working...

Many things in Windows/Linux/Mac/Solaris/etc. can't easily be undone. It's just the nature of the beast we call a computer.

Linux installers are actually traditionally better about not deleting your data on install than other operating systems. I've lost data with Windows and OS X installers. The OS X installer gives no warning and I remember being just as upset as Marty. Unfortunately, the LinuxMCE quick installer is not as sophisticated as state of the art Ubuntu LiveCD installer and adding the warning was on my personal blocker list for the upcoming 710 release. You can never tell people enough times that their data will be deleted.

Most people are not accustomed to installing operating systems, but they are accustomed to installing application software where it is generally safe to install first and read the README.FIRST!!! file later. I think it is like giving people the keys to a 25ft U-Haul, while most people will think, "Hey this isn't like my Miata, I wonder if there are any directions in the glove compartment?" But a few people will get in, drive down the road, and run over a stoplight on their first right turn. The extra warning message is like an etching on the windshield that says "WARNING: This truck requires you to make wide turns."

And honestly, all of us have had that "doh!" moment in our lives.

Marty, fortunately most image files have a unique header that allows disk recovery software to find them on disk. Good Luck!